


The Pirate Groom

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Escape Attempts, Extramarital Affairs, Flint needs a hug, Gen, Happy Ending, Identity Reveal, Kidnapping, M/M, Mention of Hanging, Mentions of homophobia, Political stuff, Princess Bride AU, Prisoner abuse, Temporary Character Death, Thomas needs a hug, True Love, being blindfolded and tied up in non kinky ways, duh - Freeform, everyone is a mess, original child character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-26 18:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19774063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: Ten years ago, Thomas Hamilton learned that his true love was murdered by the infamous Captain Flint. Now, as he's being dragged along by a couple of kidnappers, Flint is the one hot on their tail.





	1. Chapter 1

The plans were all settled. James was to sail off to Nassau, and would learn everything about the place that he could. The more details they knew of the situation there, the better chance there was of implementing a plan that would truly work to end the piracy and create a hub of productivity. 

The one downside to all of this was that it meant that Thomas would have to go three entire months without being able to see James. It was strange, in a way, to feel so distressed by that thought, considering that the two men had barely even known each other for half a year. And yet it felt as though they had known each other all their lives. 

James was getting ready to leave and head to the docks, but Thomas wasn’t ready yet to say goodbye. He reached out to gently grab James’ hand, and tugged the officer closer to exchange one last kiss. “You must come home safely.”

One of James’ rare genuine smiles, the kind that Thomas treasured so much for their stunning beauty, made an appearance. “Is that an order, my lord?”

Thomas grinned in exchange. “If I say that it is, will you obey it?”

James held up Thomas’ hand to press a gentle kiss to the knuckles. “Of course,” he murmured. “I wouldn’t dare dream of anything else.”

Thomas had not realized that Miranda had woken up, but her voice rang out across the entrance hall. “Darling, you must let go of James or he’ll miss his ship.”

It was tempting to just keep holding on to James forever, but Thomas knew that there was more to the world than just the love he felt for the dear man in front of him. He forced himself to pull his hand away from James. “I look forward to hearing your report on Nassau. I do hope you enjoy your trip to the Bahamas.”

James nodded, all traces of playfulness gone. “I will take utmost care to record down every detail.” He turned to the door, but then paused for a moment to glance back over his shoulder at Thomas. “I will not stop thinking of you,” he promised in that quiet, yet intense, way of his. Then he left, though Thomas felt as though he could still feel the warmth on the top of his hand, where James’ lips had been.  
Miranda walked closer to him, and wrapped her arm around Thomas’. “It will certainly be more boring around here until the lieutenant returns.”

“I suddenly have the strangest feeling that something terrible is going to occur.”

Miranda’s grip on his arm tightened slightly, as though she were afraid that he was going to dash outside and chase after James. “James is a very capable man, and he was able to take care of himself for thirty years before the two of you laid eyes on each other; I’m sure that he’ll survive just fine for a couple of months.”

Thomas knew that she was right, and that he was really just getting himself worried over nothing. He forced himself to turn away from the door, and then cleared his throat. “It’s still so early. Shall we go back to bed for another couple of hours before eating?”

Miranda gave a small laugh as she nodded. “Yes, it is rather early. Perhaps it would have been kinder to James if you had let him go to sleep at a reasonable time last night.” 

Perhaps, but Thomas has needed a night of closeness with the man he loved so that he would be able to part with him in the morning. “Oh hush. As I recall, you seemed to have come home rather late from your visit with the baker, did you not?”

They shared smiles as they retired to their room. As they cuddled up beneath the blankets, Thomas found himself feeling grateful for his beautiful wife. They loved each other dearly and were best friends. To be able to have that, while also having a lover that he cherished more than anything, was almost too much, though Thomas would never question a good thing.

,,,

When one of the servants informed Thomas that there was a navy man there to see him, he couldn’t help irrationally hoping that it was James home two months early. He rushed to the parlor, and was slightly puzzled to see an unfamiliar figure. “Good afternoon, Mr…?”

“Lieutenant Kaley, my Lord. I’ve been assigned to be your new liaison with the navy. I have this,” and he held out a letter that was sealed shut. 

Thomas felt strangely numb as he reached out to take the letter and pry it open. His eyes scanned across the words, feeling detached from it all. ‘ _Terrible tragedy…. Dreaded pirate Captain Flint… no survivors.... Apologies for the inconvenience… Lt Kaley is as qualified as McGraw…_ ’ 

It took far too long for Thomas to realize that he had already read the meager letter twice over and was now staring blankly at the page. He couldn’t believe that it was real. How could James be… dead? He’d always seemed so unbeatable, and strong. But even the strongest man was no match for a crew of bloodthirsty pirates.

For perhaps the first time in Thomas’ life, he wished to rain violence down upon someone, though he did not even know where he could begin. Of course he’d heard the tales of Captain Flint- who hadn’t? but they had never sounded like anything that would actually affect Thomas. And now James was gone. 

No more debates over philosophy, no more coaxing out that beautiful grin, no more holding each other close, or going on picnics far from the city, or counting the many freckles that covered James, or reading silently until a particularly interesting passage came up that just had to be read aloud, or-

It felt so unbearable to even consider the idea of James being dead. What kind of a world was it where men like Flint were able to go on causing destruction and devastation everywhere, while the good men like James were destroyed before they even had a chance to become more? It was a cruel, unjust world, and Thomas wanted to scream out loud at the unfairness of it all.

Lieutenant Kaley spoke cautiously. “My Lord? Are you alright? Did you know Captain McGraw well?”

That was enough to startle Thomas out of his own thoughts, and he looked at the lieutenant in confusion. “Captain?”

“He was promoted posthumously, my Lord. I’ve never met him myself, but I’ve heard that he was a good man.”

Even though it was impossible, it seemed to Thomas that he could actually feel something shriveling up inside of him, leaving him hollow. James had not been a good man, he had been a great one. But the world would never know, or care. The words on the letter in his hands began to smudge, and Thomas realized that he was crying. He turned away from the lieutenant, uncaring of how rude it would make him appear. “I will call upon you when you are needed.” Then he hurried out of the room, and towards the library.

He found Miranda sitting in her usual chair, enjoying a book of poetry. She looked up, and her smile fell away the moment she saw Thomas’ face. She quickly stood up, not bothering to mark her place before setting her book down and hurrying to her husband. “What is wrong?”

Thomas opened his mouth, but found himself incapable of saying what had happened, as though remaining silent would protect him from the truth of it all. Instead, he thrust the letter into Miranda’s hands. She quickly read it over, and then let out a loud gasp and reached up to cover her mouth with one hand, before sinking down into her chair. She trembled as tears began to slip from her eyes as well, and Thomas dropped to his knees in front of her. 

They pulled each other into an uncomfortably tight hug, silently trying to offer each other comfort even as they both grieved the man they had both loved. But comfort was not quick to come to either of them, as they wept and thought of the man who had changed both of their lives.

,,,

10 Years Later

,,,

“Do you really have to go?”

Thomas gave his wife an apologetic look. “You know very well that I must. My father is lying on his death bed, and once he is gone, I inherit his titles and responsibilities, and I must be prepared for it all.”

The little girl being held in Miranda’s arms pouted. “But I don’t want you to go, Father!”

He sighed, and leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. “I know. But I must. I am trying to make the world a better place so that you can grow up safe and happy.”

“I am happy, Father, I promise!”

Thomas smiled at her earnestness. “I’m glad to hear that. However, I still need to go. I have a very important task for you, though. I’m going to be gone for a few months, as you know, so will you stay here and watch over your mother, Jamie?”

The idea of having an ‘important task’ entrusted to her made the girl’s eyes widen, and then she nodded solemnly. “I will.”

“Thank you very much.” He gave Miranda and Jamie both a kiss on the cheek, and then hurried outside to get to his waiting horse. A carriage with his trunks had been sent along a day ago so that everything would be unpacked and ready for him upon his arrival, leaving him with nothing to worry about other than attending to his dying father. 

Despite the circumstances, Thomas couldn’t help thinking that the countryside looked quite beautiful this time of year. Even though he was in a hurry, he felt relieved that his horse needed a break after riding for the better part of the day, and stopped by a small stream so that they could both drink and freshen themselves up.

At the sound of a branch crunching beneath someone’s boots, Thomas looked up, and tilted his head curiously. Emerging from the trees was three people, an impossibly tall man with long hair, a shorter man with a rather disgruntled look about him, and a redheaded woman dressed in men’s clothing. It was an odd sight, to be sure. “Hello there,” he greeted them with a pleasant enough voice. 

The tall man stepped forward. “Can you tell us how to get to London from here?”

Thomas chuckled lightly. “I’m afraid that you must have gotten yourselves quite lost. London is at least six hours west on horseback. In fact, the nearest town at all is still at least an hour away.”

Even though that should have been disappointing news, the tall man grinned. “Good. That means that there will be no one to hear you shout.”

While he’d been distracted, the woman had walked around behind Thomas, and she reached up to smack him in the back of the head with the butt of her sword, and everything went dark.

,,,

When Thomas woke up, it was with an awful, splitting headache from where he’d been hit. His hands and legs were bound together, and the rocking motion seemed for a moment to be a result of his headache, until he smelled the salty air and finally opened his eyes to see through a small window in front of him that he was on a ship. 

He tried to get up, but he was tied up too well, and was left with nothing to do other than take in every detail of the room he was in, and hope that a plan would come to him. Unfortunately, from what he could see in the dim lighting, the room was bare of pretty much anything other than the pile of hay he was sitting on. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there before a door swung open, and the same tall man from before walked in.

“I see that you’re finally awake. Now why don’t we get right to business? My name is Charles Vane and you are my prisoner. As a lord-to-be, I’m sure that I’ll get quite a handsome price for returning you alive. So don’t do anything stupid, and you’ll be back home with your wife and child before you know it.”

Thomas narrowed his eyes. “I’ve heard of you. You’re one of the Nassau pirates, aren’t you?” Vane arched one eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest, but didn’t try to stop Thomas from talking. “Then you must know Captain Flint, right?”

Vane gave Thomas a curious look before shrugging once. “Begrudgingly, yes.” He didn’t ask why Thomas wanted to know, and Thomas didn’t volunteer the information. He had the feeling that this pirate captain wouldn’t care about Thomas’ broken heart. Because even now, a decade after James’ death, it still hurt to think about. When nothing else was said, Vane nodded as though an agreement had been reached between them. “Good, glad we’ve got that settled.” 

He left, and Thomas had nothing to do but wait around in boredom until the sun finally started to rise, and he was able to see his room better. That’s when he spotted what could possibly be his saving grace. A little nail sticking out of the wall. Thomas wiggled his way over, glad that no one was around to witness his embarrassing movement, and then got to work.

He had to lift his shoulders up and down to saw away at the ropes around his wrists, and it was very tiring. His muscles ached after just a few minutes, but Thomas pressed his lips together in a flat line so that he wouldn’t make any noise, and continued working. Eventually he had to stop and take a break, and then he got back to it. 

When the frayed rope snapped apart, Thomas had to bite back a shout of victory, and then he shifted around to get started on his legs as well. By the time he was done, he felt exhausted from the effort, and from not having eaten in over a day, but the possibility of escape was invigorating.

As it started to get dark again, the door to his prison opened, and Thomas didn’t even wait a moment before darting past whoever was standing there. He had been on a few ships before, but still had some difficulty making his way through the belly of this unfamiliar one again. Then he finally reached the stairs going up, and hurried.

Untying one of the forward boats would take too long, and probably required multiple people, so Thomas just took a deep breath and leapt right over the side of the ship, thinking of Miranda and Jamie as he did so. He had to get back home to his family no matter what. 

He hit the water with a hard splash that seemed to sting him all over, and then picked a direction to start swimming. A loud voice called out from onboard the ship. “These are shark-infested waters, _Lordling_!” The title was said in the same way that most people said excrement. “And even if they weren’t, you’d drown long before reaching land! Now why don’t you let yourself get pulled back up, and maybe I’ll consider not jumping in there after you myself and slitting your throat!”

Thomas gulped, and paused, treading the water in the meanwhile. Unfortunately, he easily believed that they were too far away from land to swim. He needed to get home to his family, and getting killed in the escape wouldn’t do that. So he let out a slow sigh, and then shouted back up, “You will all get what’s coming to you!” When a rope was tossed into the water he grabbed it, and let himself be hauled back up onto the deck. 

A tall, scrawny man- the one who had been with Vane when they took Thomas- was waiting for him with a dry coat. “Here. You’ll catch your death sitting around in those wet things.”

Thomas took the coat, and tried not to look too grateful as he did so. He hadn’t realized just how chilly it would get at night on the water, and walking around with his wet clothes plastered to his body was certainly uncomfortable. But that didn’t mean that he wanted to thank these pirates for anything, considering they were the reason he was in this situation in the first place.

He let himself get escorted back to his cell, and closed his eyes tiredly as the door slammed shut, locking him in. The idea of reforming the pirates had always seemed great in theory, but doubt that had started ten years ago began to grow. Perhaps there was simply something in the nature of certain men that made it impossible for them to live law-abiding, civilized lives. 

,,,

The next morning, Thomas was brought up to the deck to wander around ‘so long as he didn’t get in anyone’s way’, apparently having been deemed as not a threat. It was somewhat insulting, and yet it was also the truth. Thomas would not call himself weak, but he did sit around far too often, and only did brief training exercises when the mood struck him. And there was also the fact that he was only one man up against an entire crew of them. So in the end, he was completely helpless to do anything.

As Thomas sat on a rail and stared out over the seemingly endless ocean, he was slightly startled by the sound of someone clearing their throat from right behind him. He turned, and saw the redheaded woman. He’d noticed the way that most of the crew seemed to ignore her throughout the day, but knew that a man like Vane would not permit her to be onboard if she was not every bit as fearsome as any other pirate.

She reached into her jacket, and for a moment, Thomas thought she was going to pull out a blade to knock him out again. It was a pleasant surprise to instead see her pull out a small leatherbound book. “Less likely to cause trouble if you’re occupied,” she said in a gruff voice before shoving the book in his hands and storming away.

Thomas blinked a few times, and then looked down at the book. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the symbol embossed on the cover. What were the odds…? He quickly flipped it open, and there, in faded ink, was his own handwriting. ‘ _James, my truest love, know no shame -T.H._ ’ Thomas leapt to his feet and looked around wildly, hoping to spot the woman so that he could demand she tell him where she got this book. 

Before he could do that, though, he saw many of the pirates beginning to shout, and Vane appeared before them. “That’s the Walrus on our tail!”

“What does he want?” 

One of the pirates pulled out a small mirror, and began tilting it around a few times, and then waited. After a long moment, he turned to the captain. “They’re saying to drop the cargo!” 

Vane frowned pensively. “Tell him that this is for his own fucking mission. If not from Eleanor, then the funding needs to come from somewhere. Or has he already given up?”

The scrawny man cleared his throat to speak to Vane in a soft voice, but Thomas was standing near enough to hear it. “Charles, a few pieces of gold aren’t worth getting into a fight with Flint. You know how he gets about things.”

Vane gave the man a look that would have sent lesser men running for cover. “If I want your opinion, Jack, then I will ask for it.”

Thomas wandered away from the pair to try and get a better look at Flint’s ship. It seemed like barely more than a smudge on the horizon. Thomas wondered what it looked like. The men aboard that ship- the Walrus- were the ones responsible for taking James from him. He imagined that it must be some ugly thing covered in imperfections and scars. It was how he imagined Flint to look as well. He didn’t think any man as ugly on the inside as Flint clearly was could look beautiful. 

He wasn’t sure what exactly was going on between Vane and Flint, and he didn’t particularly care, either. He just wanted to get to wherever their destination was, figure out how to get Vane his ransom money, and then go home. Thomas had never been overly fond of sailing to begin with, and he definitely wasn’t fond of doing so with pirates. And there was the added issue of his dying father. If he passed on while Thomas was not around, it could cause plenty of trouble for everyone.

The ship he was on started to pick up speed, and the Walrus slowly seemed to disappear from existence. Thomas stared out at the horizon, all while clutching the book to his chest. Perhaps it was useless to speculate, but he couldn’t help thinking that the world would be a much better place if there were no pirates in it.

,,,

Two more days passed before they finally reached their destination, though Thomas had no idea where that was, since he’d been thrown back into his cell hours ago. He could hear the cheering up above, though, which was how he knew that they’d arrived. Vane came down to see Thomas, and tossed a scrap of black cloth towards him. “Tie that around your eyes. Or let yourself be carried around unconscious like a maiden in distress. Up to you.”

Thomas clenched his teeth before picking up the cloth and knotting it around the back of his head. It was quick thick, and he couldn’t see anything through it. Then a rope was suddenly being wrapped around his wrists, and Thomas was glad that he’d secured his book in his jacket pocket beforehand, or else it might have gotten left behind.

After Vane made sure that the rope was secure, he told Thomas to follow. It was a nearly impossible task to make it through a ship with only the sound of a voice to follow after, and he nearly tripped and fell several times. They made it up the stairs, and then Thomas could feel a refreshingly cool breeze against his face. 

At some point he was picked up, carried a few steps, and then dropped unceremoniously into what he assumed was one of the forward boats. The boat was lowered down into the water a couple minutes later, and everyone on it was silently. They only traveled a short way before Thomas was being hauled out of the boat, despite his protest that he could manage just fine on his own. He tried to ask where they were going, but was only told to shut up.

They walked over sand very briefly, and then walked over grass and dirt for a while. When they stopped, the redheaded woman from before spoke. “The fuck we doing here?”

“Neutral territory,” Vane responded shortly. If there was more to it than that, then he either didn’t want to talk about it in front of Thomas, or just wasn’t feeling particularly chatty at the moment. Not that Thomas could really blame the man. He wasn’t feeling all that up for conversation at the moment either.

Not being able to see anything was quite frustrating, since it meant that Thomas had to rely on his other senses to tell him what was going on. His arms were tugged roughly in front of him, and then thrown over someone’s head so that he was clinging to them. A moment later his feet rose up off the ground, and he immediately wrapped his arms tighter. He got an annoyed grunt in response, but nothing else.

As they went up higher, he heard Jack sound like he was bordering on being frantic. “He’s right behind us!”

“As soon as we get to the top, we’ll cut the rope,” the woman muttered. Thomas should really learn her name at some point if she was one of the main members of his kidnappers. It felt like it took forever before he was finally pulled onto solid ground, and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. There was the sound of a knife sawing through rope, and then silence, followed only a moment later by a surprised, “The bastard is holding on.”

Vane sighed. “Stay here and deal with him, Anne. Jack and I will keep moving forward.” Then Thomas was yanked up to his feet again. He could have made a token protest, but decided that it wasn’t worth the effort. They walked on for a while, Thomas constantly being tugged forward by the rope around his wrists, when they came to a sudden pause. “He must have beat Anne.” Thomas was shoved forward, and then roughly caught by a different set of hands. “I’ll deal with him. You keep going.”

“Are you sure, Charles?”

Vane snorted. “As if you’d have any chance against Flint in combat.”

Jack laughed. “Fair point. Alright, then. I’ll see you there.” He dragged Thomas along.

Now that it was just two of them, and Thomas could easily figure out that Jack was the weakest fighter of the group, he figured that it was his opportunity to escape. “I need a moment of rest, unless you have a spare set of trousers you’d like to loan me.”

He stumbled to a halt, and Jack let out a sound of annoyance. “Any funny business and I’ll knock you on your ass faster than you can blink.” He didn’t untie Thomas’ hands, but he did let go of the rope. Thomas immediately reached up to rip off his blindfold and then start running. He realized immediately that he had absolutely no idea where he was, or how close to civilization he was, but he had to at least try. Despite Jack’s threats, Thomas didn’t find the man at all intimidating, especially with the way he wore his facial hair. 

But Thomas hadn’t accounted for the fact that even the weakest man in a group of notorious pirates was still going to be stronger than a man who spent most of his time at a desk doing paperwork. It didn’t take long before Thomas was being tackled to the ground, and though he put up the best fight he could- kneeing Jack between the legs once and getting in a few scratches to the other man’s face- in the end he was defeated. 

The blindfold was roughly shoved back around Thomas’ eyes, tight enough this time to give Thomas a light headache, and then he was marched forward for some time more. Finally, he was shoved down, and Thomas found himself sitting on a log. “I’ve always looked up to men like Captain Flint,” Jack started, as if he was talking to a friend and not a captive. “But I’m tired to death of walking, and if he’s done harm to Anne or Charles, then I have no choice but to get rid of him.”

“I thought your captain said you’d have no chance against him?”

There was a brief pause, like Jack was surprised to hear Thomas say anything to him, and then he cleared his throat before responding. “I may not be the best with a sword or a pistol, but I can assure you that very few can rival my intellect. Getting rid of someone doesn’t always mean killing them.”

Thomas found himself scowling and spitting out, “I wish you would kill him,” before he could stop himself. He knew that it was stupid to be oversharing with one of his kidnappers, but the sentiment had slipped out of his mouth without his permission.

Jack only chuckled. “Such vitriol. So? What did Flint take from you? You’re a lord, so I’m assuming that he must have attacked your ships at some point. Lost a great deal of money to him, perhaps?”

While there were better times and places for a conversation such as this, and certainly better people to have them with, Thomas found himself inclined to speak anyway. He never really talked about what happened, not even with Miranda, and it felt good to get it out. “I would lose every penny of my fortune in an instant if it meant getting back what Flint stole. He took the life of someone very dear to me. A good, righteous person, with so much potential to do anything- to change the world someday.”

“Huh. So I suppose the rumors aren’t true then? They say that you’re the one royal man who’s actually happy with his wife, no matter how many times she’s stepped out on you. But if you lost a lover to Flint, then that can’t be true, can it?”

Thomas was proud of his reputation, and didn’t begrudge Miranda her own little slices of happiness wherever she could get them. But to deny what he’d once had with James seemed akin to denying the existence of his heart and soul, and was simply impossible for him to do it. “It was just the one, but I could never forget them.” He hesitated for a moment before reaching into his pocket to pull out his book. “Do you know where Anne got this?”

While Jack was looking it over, Thomas reached up to push at the blindfold so that it was resting on the top of his head. He saw the considering look that Jack gave the book before handing it back. “A few weeks ago, Flint got rid of half his books, said that they were weighing his ship down. Anne nicked this one. Don’t tell her I said so, but she can be something of a romantic at times. She thought that the inscription was sweet, or some such nonsense. Why do you ask?”

Thomas gulped, and opened his mouth to speak, but there was a rustle in the nearby bushes, and Jack tugged Thomas’ blindfold back into place. “You’re not to say a word,” he whispered. “I may not be the best fighter, but anyone could get a sitting man.” There were some light footsteps, and then Jack spoke in a louder voice, one that projected a joviality that surely no one was feeling at the moment. “Ah, Flint, how wonderful and unexpected to see you here. Please, take a seat. I’d love to just take a moment to chat with you.”

There was a muffled thump, and then Flint finally spoke. His voice was rough, and sounded somewhat familiar, though Thomas couldn’t think of any time that he might have heard the pirate speak. “The only thing either of them lost today was their dignity.”

Jack let out a loud sigh of relief. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. So, would you care to explain why you seem so intent on mucking up some perfectly good plans that we’ve got going on?”

“My reasoning is my own. All you need to know is that you are going to release that man to me. We both know that I could kill you without any effort at all.”

Jack laughed. “You could, but then you might be in a bit of a bind. You see, it sounds to me like you want to keep this man alive, so I decided to do a bit of advanced planning. I’ve forced him to drink some poison that requires a specific antidote. I have three bottles in my pocket, one of which will cure him, while the other two will only kill him instantly. If you kill me, he is almost guaranteed to die.”

Thomas kept his face blank, as he knew Jack wanted him to, but wondered whether the bluff would work or not. There was a moment of silence before Flint spoke again. “And what is it that you want from me, Mr. Rackham?” 

“How about a little game? If I win, then you leave and I continue on my way. If you win, you take the lord and go about whatever insane plan it is that you’ve thought up this time. And I’ll give him the antidote at the end of the game either way, so you’ve no reason to worry about that.”

“And how do I know that he won’t die in the meanwhile?”

“It’ll be a short game,” Jack promised. Flint must’ve given some silent agreement, because soon Thomas could hear the rattling sound of several small metal pieces, and then Thomas was forced to sit there and wait and wonder tensely what the outcome of the game would be. He didn’t trust Jack one bit, but he trusted Flint even less than that. And then finally there was a noise of defeat from next to him, and Jack sighed. “Very well, I can accept defeat like a man. Here,” there was the noise of something small being thrown, and then Jack got to his feet. “Charles is going to be pretty pissed at you.”

“I can handle him.”

Jack laughed. “But can you handle Anne? Her temper is even worse than his.” There was no answer, so Jack just suddenly gave Thomas a pat on the shoulder. “Lovely getting to know you. We should do tea some time.” Then he began snickering so hard that it sounded as though he could barely breathe as he walked away.

Thomas refused to be left in the dark for a moment longer, so he reached up to pull off the blindfold and toss it to the side. Instead of seeing the face of his love’s murderer, he just saw the dark cloth that was wrapped completely around the man’s head and face, showing nothing other than his eyes. And at that point it was starting to get dark out, which meant that he couldn’t even see the eyes very well.

He surged to his feet and gave Flint his harshest scowl. “So you are the pirate Captain Flint, then?”

Flint nodded once. “The one and only.” Even with the poor visibility he had, Thomas felt like Flint seemed almost amused by his own words. Then he slowly stood up as well, and it surprised Thomas to realize that he was taller than Flint. Though he didn’t dare assume that that gave him any kind of advantage. 

“What do you want from me?” Thomas asked, forcing himself to remain calm. He wished that Jack could have at least cut him free before leaving him at the dreaded pirate’s mercy. 

Flint rolled his eyes. “And what makes you think that you’re special enough that I could want anything from you, your lordship.”

Thomas shrugged. “I see. Then you chased after me all this way and fought past my captors for absolutely no reason. I’m glad that we got that cleared up. Since we have, I’ll just be on my way then. Cut my rope and I’ll leave you be.”

“I don’t take orders from anyone,” Flint suddenly snarled, and then he marched closer until he was right up in Thomas’ face. “Especially you. And you are going nowhere.”

Thomas refused to take a step back. He already knew his James’ fate, but suddenly he needed the confirmation. He ignored Flint’s ire, and began speaking. “If I must remain in your presence then the least you can do is give me answers. Ten years ago, there was a ship sailing from England to the Bahamas, known as the Lastillion. You and your men attacked it.”

Flint shrugged as he stepped away from Thomas. “I have attacked so many ships, I can hardly remember all of them, especially one from so long ago.”

“It was run by English officers, including a first lieutenant James McGraw. He was a tall man with ginger hair and a courageous heart.”

Flint tilted his head. “Let me guess, he owed you some money and you’d like to know if there’s any let to collect from.”

Thomas refused to let himself be cowed by the pirate in front of him. He had often told his James to have no shame, and it would be hypocritical of him to back down now. “He was my true love, if you believe in such things.”

Flint paused for a moment to think before letting out a harsh laugh. “Actually, I do think I remember this fellow. He was quite an unusual man. Instead of begging for his life, he simply told me that he had to get home. When I asked him why, he said that it was for the love awaiting him there. You should be glad that he’s dead, so that he would never have to know of your treachery.”

Thomas narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

Flint shrugged. “Of course no one could blame you for being married, but after all the promises you made, to go and have a child by her? And my condolences about your father. I suppose that you can’t wait until he’s buried so that you can take over for him. Why bother actually fulfilling the promises that you made when you could just ignore them entirely?”

“You don’t know anything about me,” Thomas ground out through clenched teeth. “Or James. I have lived in misery each day since his death, as if I was the one who had perished!”

And then, despite being a man sworn to nonviolence, he lunged forward and tore at Flint’s scarf, determined to see the face, and hopefully get a few scratches across it. He managed to peel some of the scarf away, though most likely only because he had taken the man by surprise. But then he froze as he looked at the man before him. 

There were many years and distance between them, and the scruffy beard and increase of freckles were new, but there was no denying that the man in front of him was none other than the one he’d thought forever lost to him. “James?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for the second part. it's so hot out that i feel like my brain is melting right out of my head, which can make it difficult to focus on writing lol.

Alright, so James hadn’t exactly thought through what his plan was going to be. All he knew was that he’d gotten word that Vane and his crew were planning on making a quick stop at London to pick up ‘important resources’, and he’d impulsively decided to follow behind his reluctant ally. He had been more than surprised to see Vane dragging an unconscious Thomas Hamilton onboard his ship. 

James had not returned to England since he’d left it ten years ago, but even he had gotten plenty of opportunity to hear the latest gossip, including the fact that Thomas’ father had grown ill. It was only logical to assume that Thomas would be taking over for the man, the man who had always hated his own son simply for daring to be himself. Not that Thomas had continued to be just that, unfortunately.

And now, here he was, having fought off Anne Bonny, Charles Vane, and Jack Rackham. He hadn’t planned for what he would do once he actually got to Thomas, though. And he certainly hadn’t planned for Thomas to unmask him so easily. 

James reached up to remove his scarf the rest of the way, and then crossed his arms over his chest, giving Thomas a judgemental look. He wasn’t sure of what he wanted to say, but he didn’t need to say anything, apparently, since Thomas quickly got over his shock and surged forward to pull James into a hug.

When James didn’t return it, Thomas backed away, looking at the pirate with trepidation. “James? I suppose I don’t really understand what’s going on. Those other pirates called you Captain Flint, but I was told that Flint was the one who had killed you. How are you alive? And why did you never return to me?”

It was easy enough for James to remember the promise he’d made ten years ago, that he would return home safely. He’d done everything in his power, but… “What was the point? Clearly you’ve long moved on, my Lord.”

Thomas frowned. “You surely can not be so foolish as to believe that I could ever move on from you? The vows that we made to each other mattered to me more than anything, even if no court would ever recognize them. You mentioned my daughter before, right? She is mine, because I’ve chosen to raise her as such, but I am not responsible for her creation.”

James wanted to laugh and share his doubts about that, but deep down, he knew that Thomas would never lie to him. His shoulders slumped down, but then he hardened himself to his own feelings. Regardless of whether or not Thomas had fathered a child, it still didn’t change anything about why James hadn’t returned home the moment he’d gotten the chance. It’s because he couldn’t. By the time the previous Captain Flint had granted James his freedom, James had been far too gone. A monster like him could never be with someone like Thomas.

He shifted awkwardly on his feet. “Look, the royal navy was pretty close behind me last I checked. Vane certainly wasn’t discreet about dragging you off. If you turn back now, you should be able to meet up with them fairly quickly.”

Thomas crossed his arms over his chest, and his eyebrows were furrowed in concern. “And what about you?”

“Well I’m certainly not going to go to the navy. I’m Captain Flint, remember?”

Thomas only looked more concerned. “Yes, you still haven’t explained how that is possible. Wherever it is that you’re planning on going next, I’m going with you.”

James quickly shook his head. “Absolutely not.” He couldn’t bear the idea of Thomas getting hurt because of him. “You’re free to return to your family now, my Lord.”

There was that stubborn look that James had always loved. “James you’re also my…” he trailed off, and then scowled. “I refuse to just let you walk away again. If you don’t love me anymore, then that is something I can accept, but you still at least owe me an explanation.”

James glanced in the direction that the navy would most likely be following them from, and then sighed. He knew that Thomas could be quite immovable when he wanted to be, and there really wasn’t enough time to just be standing around and arguing. So he narrowed his eyes and gave a sharp nod before turning and walking off, letting Thomas follow him. 

He was surprised by how much restraint Thomas was able to show, waiting almost an entire hour before saying anything at all. “Are you ever going to cut my ropes?”

James pulled his sword free, and then turned back to face Thomas. He had to force his face to remain blank even as he faced the man who he had once imagined he would spend the rest of his life with. Thomas bravely held out his bound arms, and didn’t flinch for even a moment as James cut him free, apparently very trusting of the fact that James would never intentionally harm him. “Are you satisfied, my Lord?”

The look on Thomas’ face seemed to be answer enough to that. “How are you Captain Flint?” 

At least that was an easy question to start off with as they resumed walking. “Flint is more of a title than anything. It turns out that people fear a name and a flag much more than they ever could a mere face. Our ship was attacked not long after leaving England by the then Captain Flint. I told him that I needed to get home, and he was intrigued. He was impressed by my skills as a sailor, and put me to work on his ship, telling me not to get my hopes up because he would probably kill me in the morning. I grew to know his entire crew, and every night he would tell me that I would probably be killed in the morning. We became something like friends, and he took me along on some raids. After about three years, he told me that he wasn’t the first Captain Flint either, and that he was ready to retire and wanted to pass the name on to me. We picked up a new crew, and he stayed on as my quartermaster in order to convince the crew that I was Flint. Eventually he left, and I was captain.” He shrugged. “That’s all there is to it.”

“Why didn’t you return then?”

James glanced back at Thomas, and saw that the man seemed tired, but was probably not going to ask for a break. “We should stop and rest. There is quite a bit of walking ahead of us still.” It was obvious that he was avoiding answering the question, but Thomas didn’t push him. They went just inside the tree line, and sat down on the ground. It was strange to see Thomas looking so… normal, and not like the prim and proper gentleman that James remembered. “There’s a town about two miles from here. Passing through it is the quickest way to the beach, and then we can get back to my ship. Unless you’ve already gotten the answers you require and are ready to turn back?”

There was a soft expression on Thomas’ face that was almost painful for James to look at. He didn’t deserve whatever was causing that look. He turned away from Thomas, as if he were checking the perimeter of their makeshift rest spot. “I want to know more of your life, James. I didn’t even know as much as I wished ten years ago, and so much has happened since then. I can send word to Miranda that I’m alright, but I need to-” he cut himself off, and it was so rare for Thomas to be at a loss for words that James felt as though he had to look. 

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, the words slipping out before he could control them.

There was a brief moment of silence, and then the two men flung themselves together, twisting into an almost painfully tight embrace before pulling back just enough to kiss. It was everything James had dreamed about since he’d first left Thomas’ side, and it felt right. It felt like he was coming home. When they finally pulled apart, Thomas gave a slightly lopsided grin. “I’ve missed you as well.” He reached up to gently cup the side of James’ face, and then they leaned closer to lightly press their foreheads together, basking in each other’s presence. 

They had to separate when there was the faint sound of horses coming from somewhere behind them, and James reached out to grab Thomas’ hand so that he could tug him along. They ran until they finally reached the town, and then slowed down to a walk so that they could both catch their breath. It wasn’t the most exciting moment of James’ life, but somehow it felt as though it was. 

They strolled through the town, linked at the elbows as though they were any other couple. At the sound of Thomas’ stomach rumbling, they stopped at a small tavern where James bought them both something to eat. “I do apologize that this isn’t up to your usual standards, my Lord,” James said with a small smile, and he knew that this time the address hadn’t come out sounding like an insult.

Thomas laughed, and then after they scarfed down their food, he took the time to shout out a compliment to the chef before they left. Reinvigorated, they continued towards the other side of town, though just after the last of the houses were just specks on the horizon behind them, suddenly several horses and riders emerged from the surrounding woods. 

These were the type of men who were as close to evil as James had ever encountered before, despite behind nothing but navy officers. He quickly drew his sword and stepped out in front of Thomas. He still found it hard to believe that Thomas actually wanted to go with him, but since that was Thomas’ decision, James would do everything in his power to defend it.

Thomas reached out to gently touch James’ arm, and then cleared his throat to speak to the men surrounding him. “I believe that there has been some kind of miscommunication. My name is Thomas Hamilton, and this is a friend of mine. You have no reason to stop us here.” He kept his voice calm and steady, even as James strategized about what order of attack would be most likely to make him victorious. 

“You are needed back in England, Lord Hamilton,” the lead rider said in a condescending tone.

Thomas blinked once, but gave no other indication that he was shocked by the confirmation that his father had passed while he was not there to see him off. Well it was a good riddance to him. Alfred Hamilton had always been a bigot, but even more than that, had seemed determined to hate anything that had made Thomas happy. The only proof needed for that was the fact that he’d always hated Miranda so much, even though she was the type of person who was pretty much impossible to hate.

Thomas pressed a bit harder on James arm, and even though he really didn’t want to, James put his sword away. If Thomas failed to talk to these men, it would be easy enough to pull it back out again. “I am dealing with very important business at the moment. There are many other lords in England who should surely be able to-”

“Important business with a known pirate?” One of the officers sneered. 

James took a moment to assess the situation they were in. Thomas could choose to make differences as a lord that he’d never been able to before. And he also had a family waiting for him back home. What did James have? A pile of treasure and a crew that would follow anyone with his name? It didn’t seem like much of a decision at all when James reached the conclusion of what he needed to do.

He quickly pulled his sword out and then grabbed Thomas by the waist, holding the man in front of him while pressing his sword up against the soft skin of his neck. “Alright, you got me. I would never be friends with a nobleman. Now let me pass or you will lose another Lord Hamilton.”

James was aware of one of the officers sneaking up behind him, but he allowed it to happen. He could never hurt Thomas, but he also couldn’t just let him go without suspicion being rained down upon them both. Instead, he let himself be knocked over the head, feeling the comforting warmth of Thomas’ body slipping out of his grasp as everything went black.

,,,

Thomas had to force himself not to shout when he heard the news that Captain James Flint had been locked away in prison, and would soon have a trial. Everyone tittered amongst themselves about how sure he was to hang. They talked about his many crimes, including robbery and murder, but still Thomas refused to believe that James was a bad man. 

He felt like he was returning home in defeat as he walked through the front door of his house. He had tried to use any connections he could to get James out of prison without making it obvious that he was trying to do so, but everyone seemed to agree that such a dangerous pirate needed to be made an example of. Had Thomas really gotten James back after all this time only to lose him again so soon?

Even though it was late, Thomas was interrupted from his morbid thoughts by Jamie running towards him and leaping up into his arms. He pulled her into a tight hug, grateful for her presence. He felt calmer just by being around the girl. “I’ve missed you so much, my darling.”

“I’ve missed you too! It’s been so long, but I’ve been taking care of Mother for you! And I also learned how to ride a horse!”

“How wonderful. You’ll have to tell me all about it,” he murmured. But even the excited ramblings of his daughter weren’t enough to distract him entirely from his thoughts of James. As soon as Jamie went to bed, he and Miranda retreated to the study to speak in private. “How much have you heard?” was the first thing he asked of his wife.

She tilted her head and gave Thomas a curious look. “About what?”

Thomas grabbed his bag and pulled out the copies of the newspapers, spreading them out to show the various articles about the capture of Captain Flint. Each paper had a different sketch of some demonic creature or another, but of course none of them actually resembled James in any way. He waited as Miranda skimmed over the articles, and then spoke before she could. “If I didn’t know better, I would be maliciously happy to see such words, and to know that Flint would hang. But I do know better. Captain Flint is James, Miranda. Our James.”

,,,

James was not enjoying his time being imprisoned. Not that he’d ever thought such a thing would be a pleasant experience, but it was clear that Woodes Rogers was constantly going out of his way to ensure that James could do nothing but suffer. He was in a cell with no windows so he could not track the time, he was only fed stale bread and rotten meat- and only after long periods of time spent hungry, someone would bang loudly on the door to his cell every time he started to fall asleep, and a million other things that kept James weak and miserable. And Rogers came by every so often to brag, as though he was single-handedly responsible for ridding the world of Captain Flint. 

James had no idea how long it had been since he’d been captured. All he knew was that the only thing keeping him going was the thought of Thomas’ beautiful face. He was more unconscious than not as he thought of his love, when suddenly his cell door burst open. James stared with wide eyes as three very unexpected people stepped inside.

Vane arched one eyebrow as he watched Anne haul James up to his feet. “As much as I’d love to leave you here to rot, I’m afraid that it would send the wrong message. The only one who’s going to be able to kill you is me.”

James grinned, though it came across as more of a grimace than anything. “How lucky I am to have you on my side.” He could barely keep himself awake, and most of the escape seemed to pass by in a blur, but James refused to let himself appear weak in front of the other pirates. Once he was propped up on a horse with Vane, he managed to mumble a brief thank before passing out. He could only hope that he would be able to see Thomas again someday.

,,,

It was a gathering of lords, and Thomas steeled himself before taking the seat that had belonged to his father until recently. He knew that something needed to be done in regards to reform for pirates. He should have pushed harder ten years ago, but he had been too devastated by the loss of James.

Now, though, James was the one bolstering him, providing a great deal of motivation to create universal pardons for the pirates. But there was such a limited amount of time to work, because Thomas knew that once James’ trial began, it was likely to be rushed along, and almost guaranteed to result in a death penalty. Thomas couldn’t go through the loss of James again, and he knew that Miranda couldn’t either.

What Thomas wasn’t expecting was for him to be pulled aside before the meeting could even begin. He stared impassively at the older man in front of him. “I know what you plan on proposing today. Are you sure that is really wise, considering your own father’s stance on piracy? As soon as you make your proposal, there are those who will believe that it is only made because of your father’s… connection with those criminals.” 

Thomas couldn’t hide the confusion that he was feeling. “What connection?”

The other lord shifted on his feet. “I am only referring to his use of those pests to keep trade in all of our favor.” Then he nodded in satisfaction, apparently believing that he had said enough to convince Thomas to shut up and stick with what had always been the case.

But Thomas was only confused about what his father could have been thinking, having involvement with pirates. Was that why he’d always refused to support Thomas’ idea of pardons? He hadn’t wanted to lose the insurance that forced merchants to pass through tolled waters? 

There was an uncomfortable feeling in Thomas’ stomach as he took his seat once again. He knew that his father was at times disagreeable, but Thomas had still always thought of him as an honest man. It was disconcerting to learn otherwise. And it wasn’t enough to stop Thomas from making his proposal all the same, and arguing for it logically and passionately, the way that James had once helped him to do. He could only hope that this would be enough to convince them all. Because if it wasn’t, then Thomas wasn’t entirely sure what he would do to save James’ life.

,,,

James woke up with a groan, feeling like every part of him had been stomped on by a galloping horse, and then tossed off of a building just for good measure. “What’s going on? Where are we?”

“We’re in a safehouse at the moment,” Jack told him, since he was the only one in the room who seemed to be paying attention. “All of England seems to be feeling a bit on guard at the moment. It would make the officers seem incompetant if the world learned of your miraculous escape, so all exits from the city are being monitored for you. We just need to wait until the heat dies down a bit, and then we can go.”

James forced himself to sit up, fighting past the pain that filled his body. “Thanks for the rescue,” he grunted. 

Jack shrugged. “Thank the captain, it was his idea. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t have taken the risk for you. Not after all the trouble you’ve caused us over the years.”

“Us pirates have to stick together,” Vane’s voice suddenly boomed towards them. “So how are you feeling, Flint? Because you certainly look like shit.”

James rolled his eyes, and got to his feet. “I feel like it too.”

And then a book was being tossed into his hands, one that he recognized immediately. He looked up at Anne, who had a bored look on her face. “You’ve finished reading it already?”

She shrugged. “Gave it to the little lord. Found it on the ground after you were taken. Thought you might want it back. Or burn it, if you don’t want it.” 

James slowly opened the book up to the front page, and took in a deep, shuddering breath at the inscription there. He hadn’t let himself look in so long, thinking that Thomas had already moved on and that there was no point in trying to fool himself otherwise. Jack seemed unaware of James’ emotional turmoil, though. “So if the pardons go through, are you going to take one?” 

It took a moment for James to focus on what Jack had said, but then his eyes widened with surprise. “The what?”

“It’s all over the news. The bill is going before parliament tonight so that they can vote on ‘universal pardons for pirates’. A bit of a mouthful, but an interesting idea all the same.”

James started towards the door, but was stopped easily enough when Vane grabbed his arm. “And where the hell are you off to? Has it escaped your attention that you are currently a wanted man? I did not go through all of the effort to rescue you just to see you go and get yourself killed a few days later.” 

James managed to look down on Vane, despite Vane clearly being the taller of the two. “I believe that I am in possession of important information that could potentially sway the vote, but only if I can get there before the voting actually begins.”

“Sway it in which direction?” Jack asked from where he was still seated.

James only glanced at Jack for a moment before focusing back on Vane. “I don’t know whether the idea of pardons is of any interest to you, but I believe that my information could make them happen.”

“What could you possibly know?”

James tugged his arm free, despite still feeling so weak, and crossed both of his arms over his chest. “Only that the former Lord Hamilton paid a notorious pirate captain to attack a navy ship and kill everyone onboard.”

The statement was followed by a moment of awkward silence, which ended up getting interrupted by Anne. “How the fuck is that going to make everyone vote in favor of pardons?”

Even though Vane didn’t actually repeat the question, it seemed as though he was thinking the same thing. Jack had a pensive look on his face, clearly trying to figure out what James was talking about. “Think about it. One of the strongest anti-piracy men out there had willingly and knowingly made a deal that resulted in the deaths of an entire crew of navy men. It calls into question his known position on the matter. But more importantly, it gives me leverage. I walk in there and state my case, and they can’t just kill me on the spot, or you three will spread the information around. And if I have to blackmail them into getting the vote I want, well,” he just shrugged lightly instead of finishing the statement. 

“Do you have any evidence of this deal?” Vane asked in a calm voice. It was always a good sign when he didn’t immediately start throwing punches.

James shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Public opinion does not care about evidence. But if it is truly necessary, then let it be known that the last surviving member of the Lastillion’s crew was able to speak with Captain Flint and learn the truth for himself.”

Vane narrowed his eyes as he let that sink in. He had become a pirate captain a few years before James, but the name of Flint had been around for much longer than either of them. “And where is this survivor now?”

James stretched his mouth into an obscenely wide grin, baring his teeth almost animalistically, and there was no need for words to pass between them.

,,,

After a brief debate, it was decided that Jack would stay behind to serve as the leverage, mostly because he was the weakest fighter even with the state that Jameswas in, while Anne and Vane would accompany him to infiltrate Parliament. 

There was a large group of officers standing around outside the main entrance to the building. Even with all three of them, they would be overwhelmed by so many. Vane suggested that Anne take off her jacket and distract the officers with her feminine wiles, but the look she gave him could have killed him in an instant if looks could kill, and he scoffed as he told her that he’d just been joking. 

But then James pointed out that maybe a female distraction wouldn’t be the worst idea, though obviously not by using Anne. Vane left to find the nearest brothel, and soon enough there was a crowd of barely dressed women swooning over the officers. During the distraction, it was easy enough for the pirates to slip inside. 

Somehow the place seemed even bigger and more ridiculous from the inside, and the pirates decided to split up. Only one of them needed to reach the voting chamber to accomplish what they needed, and they had a greater chance of someone making it there if they all went in different directions.

James just hoped that there weren’t too many people to fight along the way. While he knew that he could hold his own, he also knew that he was still in quite a bit of pain, and that eventually his body would just give out whether he wanted it to or not. 

As he walked further into the building, James could hear the low murmur of voices ahead, and picked up his pace, thinking that he must be close to his destination. And when he burst into a room full of mostly old white men, all wearing powdered wigs, he knew that he’d been successful.

He made sure to keep his face entirely expresionaless, and held himself tall and strong as he strode into the center of the room to look around at the seated men. Thomas was somewhere amongst them, but there were so many of them that he didn’t have the time to search out one specific face. 

The politicians were all taken aback by the audacity of a wanted man walking right in on their meeting, and James took advantage of that to start speaking before anyone started shouting for their guards. “Tonight, the world will hear of England’s gracious introduction of the universal pardon.”

One of the men suddenly stood up to shout at James. “You have no right to be in here! Somebody arrest that criminal!”

James just smiled meanly. “You would ban me from these chambers, but would allow the late Alfred Hamilton entrance? He is an even worse criminal than I am. At least I am honest about my intentions. If I wanted a ship full of navy men to be dead, I would just do it myself, not secretly hire a pirate to do it for me. The way that the late Hamilton did.” He wondered if he’d shocked everyone into silence as they stared at him with wide eyes. “Strange, isn’t it? How one of the biggest supporters of killing pirates was perfectly willing to hire them for the sole purpose of murdering men from his own navy?” 

“Why would he do that?”

James looked around to catch sight of the speaker, recognizing that beautiful voices. He finally spotted Thomas, standing up and staring down at James with an unreadable face. James shrugged. “He had a strong dislike for a single man aboard the ship. He believed that one single officer to be an abomination, and knew that many of his problems would be resolved if he could rid the world of that man.”

Thomas’ eyes widened slightly, and even though he sank back down into his seat and said nothing else, James knew that he understood. Alfred Hamilton had wanted James dead for no other reason than that James and Thomas loved each other. And for that, and entire crew had been condemned to die at the hands of vicious pirates. 

The other politicians were glancing at each other, and exchanging soft whispers that James couldn’t hear from his place on the floor. He cleared his throat and continued to speak. “There are many pirates who could be considered saints in comparison to a man like the late Hamilton. Or to many of you here in this room.” He turned in a slow circle, trying to make eye contact with as many of the men as he could. “The public will most certainly hear of Alfred Hamilton’s actions, if they require proof of what sort of men are creating the laws that they are forced to live by. Now it’s up to you, gentlemen, but to be honest, I’m not sure how most of you would fare with being called monsters by the people. But who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to embrace it as well as I did.”

There was a long moment of silence, and then finally someone summoned up enough courage to speak. “Please go wait out in the hallway. Our votes are to be done in private.”

James refrained from laughing at the ridiculousness of that considering everything else that was going on at the moment, but a few of the other men couldn’t stop themselves from snorting. At least that meant that there were a few people in the room with some semblance of sanity. 

He bowed his head once- with enough exaggeration that nobody would be able to mistake the action for being respectful- and then went out into the hallway. He found Vane and Anne both waiting there. “Listened through the door. Not bad, Flint.”

“So would you two take the pardons, once they’re offered?”

Vane didn’t comment on James’ confidence. “Not sure. If they really are universal pardons, then it sounds to me like I could stand to commit a few more crimes before I take mine.” He leaned back casually against the wall behind him, and crossed his arms over his chest. But that didn’t fool James into thinking that the other man wouldn’t be ready to jump into action the moment that it became necessary.

James shook his head, even as one corner of his mouth tilted up in a slight grin. “Well that sounds entirely reasonable to me.”

The three of them waited around in comfortable silence for a little while longer, until finally the chamber doors opened, and Thomas was the one who stepped outside. He didn’t even blink at the sight of two extra pirates, even though they were part of the trio who had kidnapped him, and just focused his attention on James, though of course he had to remain professional in their current setting. “Are you willing to accept a pardon?” 

It would make sense if a few votes would be swayed by whether or not one of the most notorious pirates out there would be willing to accept a pardon. James didn’t even have to give it much thought before nodding once. “Yes.” He knew that there was no chance he’d ever be able to go back to the navy- nor would he want to- but he could live a small, uninteresting life, so long as it was one with Thomas in it. 

Thomas retreated back into the chamber, but it was only another couple of minutes before he came back out, and motioned for James to follow him. They walked inside the room, where all of the other men seemed to be even warier than they had before the vote. James was directed over to a small table with a single man sitting behind it, an open ledger in front of him. “What’s your full name?”

It seemed like everything was happening so quickly after ten entire years of waiting, but James only paused for a moment before answering. “James McGraw.” 

If the man was startled to hear a name other than ‘Flint’, he did an excellent job of not showing it. He scribbled away into his ledger, and then turned it around to face James. “Sign next to your name.” It was the only name currently listed on the page, and James took the pen and signed. It was strange to see ‘McGraw’ written out in his penmanship, in a way that he hadn’t seen in years. But it also felt right. 

The other man took the ledger back, scribbled a signature onto a different paper, and then rolled it up and handed it to James. “You are officially pardoned of all crimes against your state, Mr. McGraw, and are free to live your life in service to the crown as any other citizen would.” James dipped his head in a shallow bow, and then turned to leave the room. When he got out to the hallway, Vane and Anne were nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t too worried, though. He had the feeling that he would see them again someday. 

James made his way back out through the maze of the building, and as he stepped outside into the cool night air, he grinned to himself. Perhaps he’d never be able to erase all of the terrible things he’d done in his life, but he was a free man now, and in a perfect position to start over again.

,,,

Thomas wished that he didn’t have to wait around the entire time that it took for everyone in the room to sign a document declaring the new policy of universal pardons for pirates. He was afraid that by the time he was finally able to leave, James would already be long gone, and Thomas would have missed his chance to catch up with him.

And then after what felt like forever, the meeting was finally dismissed for the night, and despite how very improper it was, Thomas raced through the building, and burst out through the outer doors. He almost tripped over his own feet in surprise when he came to an abrupt halt, seeing that James was sitting out on the steps leading away from the building. 

He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to disturb James when he looked so peaceful, head tipped back to stare up at the stars. But then he decided that he needed to move eventually, and sat down next to James, not caring that he would probably be ruining his pants by doing so. He tugged his wig off and held it in his lap, giving him something to fidget with while he waited for James to speak. 

Just when he started to think that he would have to start if he wanted to get past the stubbornness of the man next to him, James cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I called you unfaithful. I had no right to do so. I was the one who stayed away from you. Even if you had fathered a child with Miranda, I would have no right to judge you for it.”

Thomas smiled, having just been given the perfect opening. “I forgive you. You did save me from the big bad pirates, after all.” Then he hurried on before James could say anything else. “You should meet her- my daughter, that is. You’re very similar people. I think that you would get along.” 

He waited almost breathlessly for James to understand the invitation for what it was, and then watched as James slowly stood up. For a moment, he thought that James was going to walk away, and if that’s truly what he wanted to do, then Thomas would do nothing to stop him, no matter how much it would hurt.

Instead, though, James reached down to offer his hand so that he could pull Thomas up to his feet as well. “I would love to meet her.”

They were right in front of the parliament building, and there were so many people who could be leaving at any moment, and the risk was far too big, but-

Thomas found himself meeting James for a passionate kiss anyways, everything else be damned. “Shall we ride off into the sunset, then?”

James grinned, and nodded. “Please.”

Thomas grinned as well, and even as he pulled away from James, he reached out to take his hand and give it a squeeze. “Then let’s be on our way. It’s time to finally bring you home, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know absolutely nothing about british parliament or politics xD


End file.
